Child loses hand in freak Rockland accident

ROCKLAND, Maine — A 5-year-old boy was at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Wednesday as surgeons try to reattach his hand lost in a freak accident Tuesday night in downtown Rockland.

The accident happened at the intersection of Park and Main streets at about 7:30 p.m. as the boy rode in the car with his 52-year-old grandmother from Thomaston.

The child, who was riding in the back seat of the car, had wrapped a jump rope around his wrist and the other end of the rope was dangling out the window. As another vehicle drove by the car, the rope got caught on the other car. The vehicle pulled the rope as it was driving away, severing the hand, according to police.

The name of the boy is not being released by police.

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Rockland police and emergency medical services personnel responded.

A LifeFlight helicopter was unable to fly the child because of poor weather conditions that included thundershowers in the region at the time. The child was initially taken to Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport before being driven to Mass General by ambulance.